


A Good Word

by DestinyFreeReally



Series: Garvez One Shots/ Late Nights at O'Keefe's [6]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-08 08:26:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13454325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestinyFreeReally/pseuds/DestinyFreeReally
Summary: Post- Bad Moon on the Rise, Luke and Penelope talk about Luke's dating life, and all those compliments Garcia gave him to his date.





	A Good Word

    Waving the bartender over for another beer, Luke relaxed with his elbows on the bar, tapping his knuckles against the wood to the radio’s beat.    
  
    “Any more dates for me to shoo away?” Garcia laughed, leaning her elbows next to his. “Please tell me you called that nice lady and told her you were back in town.” Her voice taking on his sturdiest, scoldiest qualities, Garcia climbed up on the barstool next to his, and settled into a role that felt familiar. She  _ loved _ her girl talk with her girls- JJ’s happy marriage, Emily’s complicated, mature relationships, and Tara’s divorce saga that only got mentioned after tequila- but over the years, Garcia came to like the girl talk that came from her guy friends. Morgan was one of her best friends, one of her  _ people,  _ and hearing him talk about the way he loved Savannah… Garcia knew she couldn’t have lost him to anyone more deserving of that kind of love.    
  
    Nodding his thanks to the bartender, Luke took a sip of his fresh beer and then nodded at Garcia, too.    
  
    “We talked,” he smiled. “She almost gave me the brush off because you mentioned my  _ sweet little girl  _ at home.”    
  
   Gasping, Garcia’s mouth dropped open, “And she doesn’t love dogs?” Getting her own drink, she shook her head. “Well, she’s out then,” she shrugged, matter-of-factly. “Seemed like a nice girl.”    
  
    Shaking his head, Luke laughed, again.    
  
    “No, she thought I lied about not having kids,” sighing, Luke grinned. “Imagine? I don’t know how JJ and Matt do it. I feel like I need to ask the FBI every time I need time to get six hours sleep, and they have these micro people to look after.” He hadn’t lied to his date, Luke figured one day he might have kids. But the BAU came first, work came first, and asking a kid to understand that was a lot different than asking Roxy to.    
  
     Nodding in slow realization, Garcia winced.    
  
    “So, she thought your furbaby was your real baby?” With a giggle, Garcia tried to picture Luke as a little,  _ micro _ person. Big, brown eyes, and dark curls, but tiny.    
  
    “Remind you of a similar situation?” Still grinning, Luke bumped Garcia’s shoulder with his. “Like when  _ somebody _ thought Roxy was my girlfriend?”    
  
    Scandalized, Garcia pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “I was  _ lead _ to believe…  _ nevermind. _ That was different,” she asserted. Luke’s high-browed, overeager nodding told Garcia that he didn’t really agree. “So, now that she knows you’re nobody’s baby daddy, you two are back on track to baby- _ making?” _ She teased, taking a sip of her drink.    
  
   Sighing, Luke gave a half-shrug. “Well, we went out last night,” he started, shaking his head at Garcia’s  _ baby making _ innuendo. “She’s very smart, and very nice, but. I haven’t dated all that much… with work; my schedule’s a little better now that I’m not fugitive-hunting regularly, but… I don’t know, I don’t think it’s gonna work out with her. But she did beat me at pool, so maybe we could be friends, or something.” He shrugged at Garcia’s sympathetic frown. “You know, she said she only called me back at all because you, apparently, made a great case for me. Which… I gotta tell you, Garcia, I didn’t expect.” Laughing again, Luke ducked his smiled into his beer, and watched Penelope reluctantly nod.    
  
    “I told her I’ve heard  _ other _ people say nice things about you- that you are… nice, occasionally, and not terrible face-wise.” Rushing her words, Penelope shrugged at Luke’s big, shocked smile.    
  
   “Not  _ terrible _ face-wise. You’ve heard  _ other _ people say those exact words? Care to elaborate who?” Eyebrow ratcheted up amused and teasing, Luke caught Garcia’s glare and sigh.   
  
     Squinting at him, Garcia shook her head. “What is this, the third degree? I remember now why I say nothing nice about you. This’ll just go  _ straight _ to your head, I know it.” Downing the last of her drink, Garcia couldn’t keep the grin off her lips, promising herself it was because she was teasing him.    
  
    “Straight to my not-terrible looking head, yes?” Getting a minimal nod out of her, Luke smiled at Garcia. “Next round’s on me, and my not-terribleness. I’m growing on you, Garcia; I  _ knew _ I was, but now you know, too.”    
  
    “I know nothing of the sort, Luke. One good word about you, and you lose your head. She didn’t tell you that our relationship is like Madonna and Elton?” Blinking like that made her point, Garcia gathered that  _ that _ hadn’t been repeated to Luke.    
  
    “She asked me if  _ we _ ever kissed…” Luke shrugged, and watched Garcia roll her eyes. 


End file.
